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EARLIEST MEMORIES.THE EVENING BOMBING RAID ON WINGATE BY THE GERMAN LUFTWAFFE 6th DECEMBER 1942,
I remember being taken in my mothers arms, in the dark, up the yard at no 71, out of the gate and in middle of the road. I was shown the search lights in the night sky picking out a German bomber. I remember what was said. “ Look they have him in the lights now, they will get him.” At that point the person I knew as my Granddad, Luke Walton, came running up the yard shouting, “you can not be out here get inside.” We were pushed down the yard and up the back door steps just in time. As we got inside I heard the bomb go off and the green painted wooden door was pushed open by the blast. The pit clothes and belts on the back door fell off due to the shockwave and the pit bath hanging outside made a loud drum noise.
I learned later that six bombs were dropped by the German bomber, they fell around Station Town and Wingate. Out of the 6 dropped only two exploded. There were no casualties appart from a rabbit. Later they bombed our chip shop.
ABOVE IS THE FIRST IMAGE OF ME TAKEN BY MY UNCLE VICTOR, WHEN HE WAS AT HOME ON LEAVE FROM THE NAVY.
LIFE AT NEW HOME ESTATE STATION TOWN, WINGATE,CO.DURHAM.
Number 71 where I lived from 1940 to about 1948 was a semi detached council house. I lived in the adjoining house for the first months of my life as my Grandmother Sarah Howe , had so many children that the council gave here the two adjoining housed to live in. There was an adjoining door leading from one house to the other. I do remember living there, even at less than one year old.
Next door on the right, of number 71, lived the Unsworths, Margaret, and Austen were the children, both older than me by a good few years. Later the Tailisons lived in the adjoining house on my left, where I had lived. Across the road from number 71 at New Home Estate, the Chapman's lived in the duch houses and further to the left, the Martins and their daughter Ada, she was a little bit younger than I was and always wore bib and tucker overalls.
THE ADA MARTIN INCIDENT IN THE ANTI AIRCRAFT GUNPIT.
I doubt she will know that I saved her life when she was about 3 years old. We were playing together and walked up the road a short distance to the gun pit next to the farm. The gun pit never had a gun in it. There was a large pole in the middle of it for an anti aircraft gun. It was a large concrete structure with small gun slots in it for the defenders to shoot out of and I could just squeeze in through them. Ada and I both climbed in. One section was full of deep water, the sleeping quarters, underground. We decided to throw some grass in and watch it float. I climbed out and got some grass and we through it in the water. Ada tried to reach down to get it out. I remember saying no Ada don't, you will fall in. That is exactly what she did. I did not even wait to see her hit the water. I wriggled straight out of that gun pit and ran home to get my mother. I remember tugging at her clothes and shouting Ada is in the water several times. We all ran back to the gun pit. Just about the whole street turned up, but even though Austin Unsworth went in over his head they could not find her. I insisted she fell in, so they had another try and he found her when his foot struck her. She was brought out unconscious, placed on the grass embankment and the water forced out of her. It took an age before she spluttered back to life. Wonder where you are now Ada. It just came back to me that there was a bone handled table knife on a shelf just under the water. Very strange.
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